A US company has withdrawn plans to build a massive Las Vegas-style Sphere entertainment venue in east London.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had in November 2023 blocked the plans for MSG Sphere on the border of the Olympic Park in Stratford.
However, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove in December 2023 said he would use his powers to "call in" the scheme, effectively triggering a review of the mayor's decision.
Now, however, Sphere Entertainment's parent company, Madison Square Garden Entertainment Company (MSG), has written to British officials to tell them that it is pulling out of a process overseen by the Planning Inspectorate.
In a letter seen by the Standard, MSG said it "cannot continue to participate in a process that is merely a political football between rival parties".
The letter, which confirmed the application was being withdrawn, added: "It is extremely disappointing that Londoners will not benefit from the Sphere’s groundbreaking technology and the thousands of well-paying jobs it would have created."
The Sphere, designed by architect Populous, would have been a copy of the Madison Square Garden Sphere in Las Vegas, a $2 billion (£1.57bn) arena that played host to U2 in October 2023. It would have cost an estimated £800 million.
Why were the MSG Sphere plans so controversial?
Supporters of the 300-foot-tall Sphere claimed it would have boosted the capital’s economy by £2.5 billion, bringing in £50 million a year to local businesses and creating 1,200 jobs.
However, many people opposed the plans. Residents were upset about how the gigantic arena could have impacted the infrastructure of Stratford. The London Assembly Environment Committee said the arena would have produced unacceptable light levels from its thousands of screens.
Green Councillor for Stratford Olympic Park, Nate Higgins, said: “Calling in the MSG Sphere application is a decision that nobody has asked for.
"The decision to reject the Sphere was made on completely solid planning grounds.
"The screens on the outside would have inflicted black-out blinds on residents, and Stratford station which is already at capacity would struggle to cope with the increased demand.
"Residents deserve better than a massive advertising billboard the size of Big Ben and the London Eye being imposed on a residential community.”
Campaigners were also worried about the Sphere’s potential impact on wildlife.
What has London Mayor Sadiq Khan said about the MSG Sphere?
Mr Khan blocked plans for the Las Vegas-style music venue after being warned its dazzling light shows could trigger fits in people with epilepsy.
In November, the Standard obtained an independent report commissioned by City Hall that was instrumental in Mr Khan’s bombshell decision.
The report, by WSP, said the Sphere, which would have been covered with exterior LED lights “the size of an ice hockey puck” to broadcast images externally, was likely to have “significant adverse effects” on people living nearby and on the “night-time environment”.
It added children and older people would be most affected, and people with mental health issues, dementia, autism, and epilepsy.
“Depending on individual sensitivity, flicker can have effects ranging from visual discomfort, fatigue and decreased visual performance to the onset of some forms of epileptic seizures,” the report said.
Residents would be “very much aware of its presence” and their homes would feel like an “entertainment venue”. As a result, people with anxiety might feel like a “prisoner in their own home”.
The Sphere would have been built to the east of the Olympic Park — effectively on the opposite side of the railway tracks from the Westfield Stratford shopping centre bus station, between Montfichet Road and Angel Lane.
🚨 The dreadful MSG Sphere is dead for good! Congrats to @StopMSGSphere who've fought tirelessly and who I've been honoured to support as councillor.
— Nate Higgins (@natehiggins) January 8, 2024
The site must now be put to some good. I'm calling on @NewhamLondon and @MayorofLondon to put social housing on the site. pic.twitter.com/zjJbz2pKEJ
It would have had a 21,500-capacity main auditorium and a smaller music venue and nightclub with capacity for up to 1,500 people. It would also have had a members’ lounge, restaurants, bars, external terraces and podium.
There would also have been new bridges and pedestrian connections across the site, plus a new entrance to Stratford station.
The LED panels would have displayed moving images, artistic content and branded advertising across the entire façade of the building.
Mr Khan cited concerns about the amount of light pollution that the venue would cause for Stratford residents; its huge electricity bill and associated lack of “green” credentials; and the impact it would have on heritage sites in the area.
A spokesperson for the mayor said in November 2023: “London is open to investment from around the world and Sadiq wants to see more world-class, ambitious, innovative entertainment venues in our city.
“But as part of looking at the planning application for the MSG Sphere, the Mayor has seen independent evidence that shows the current proposals would result in an unacceptable negative impact on local residents.”
A Sphere Entertainment spokesperson said at the time: “While we are disappointed in London’s decision, there are many forward-thinking cities that are eager to bring this technology to their communities. We will concentrate on those.”
The London Legacy Development Corporation, which first determines planning applications in the Olympic Park, gave its approval for the plans in March 2022.
Mr Gove had already issued an “Article 31 direction”, informing the LLDC that he was considering whether to call in the plans. This effectively gave him the final say on whether it was granted planning permission.
